A type of shaft seal for high temperature and/or high speed rotating shafts consists of a clearance seal having a plurality of relatively thin metal rings arranged in face-to-face contact with one another and capable of sliding radially relative to one another in order to adapt to misalignment of the shaft and the shaft bearing in which the seal is used. The rings, which normally are of steel, have an inside diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the shaft or inner race, depending on the assembly with which the seal is used; and hence, a path is provided for flow of the lubricant from the bearing, resulting in a desirable purging action to maintain clean lubricant in the bearing and to prevent ingress of dirt and other foreign matter into the bearing. One example of a seal of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,460,842, issued to P. H. Pointer et al. on Aug. 12, 1969. While this patent relates to a seal of the foregoing type, it is primarily concerned with the use of a guard washer for warning the user that misalignment of the shaft has reached maximum permissible limits. In this prior art seal, the rings are held in place by the clamping action of the sides of the seal housing, and the guard washer which in effect forms one side of the housing in the final seal assembly. The metal rings are thin in the axial direction, and the radial sides are in face-to-face contact and slide relative to one another so that the rings are offset in the radial direction when the rings adjust to misalignment of the shaft. In this prior seal, a controlled lubrication path from the bearing is sometimes difficult to achieve, and after the seal and bearing have been subjected to a dirty environment for prolonged periods of time, the seal may not give optimum performance, since the parts thereof are not properly or adequately lubricated. Further, a second and unwanted path for egress of the lubrication from the bearing, around the outside diameter of the rings, permits escape of the lubricant without effectively purging the clearance between the inner race or shaft and the sealing rings.